Summary
- Each Assassin's Creed game offers a unique and immersive soundtrack filled with breathtaking acoustic marvels.
- The music in Assassin's Creed games varies in historic resonance, emotional force, and variety across different titles.
- Standout tracks like "Ezio's Family" in Odyssey and Brotherhood elevate the overall musical experience of the series. Total characters: 126
The saga of hooded killers operating in history's shadows has endured for a reason. Besides the gorgeously rendered and historically accurate architecture, generationally spanning narrative weaves, and iconic hood-shrouded, hidden-bladed characters, the music of Assassin's Creed stands as one of the most memorable components of the series, rising with and above some of gaming's greatest musical offerings.
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While each game brings its own breathtaking acoustic marvels with standout tracks from legendary game composers like Sarah Schachner, Jesper Kyd, Austin Wintory, and Chris Tilto, specific games in the series fly above the others in terms of historic and heroic resonance, emotional force, and musical soul.
10 Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Violins, Cello, Steel, And Smoke
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
- Released
- October 23, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Composer(s): Austin Wintory
While the soundtrack to Assassin's Creed: Syndicate certainly pulls romp and poignance in equal measure with its period-accurate sad violin and cello renditions, the melancholy strings of Victorian London can end up sounding as stale as crumpets and cold tea to some.
The soundtrack has its moments of brilliance, such as the whimsical and dancy "Waltzing on Rooftops and Cobblestones," but it somewhat lacks the variety and hopeful swell of previous titles to put it further up the list.
9 Assassin's Creed Revelations
An Epic (If Sometimes Meandering) Sendoff
Assassin's Creed Revelations
- Released
- November 15, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Language, Mild Sexual Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
- Composer(s): Lorne Balfe, Jesper Kyd
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations marks the end of Ezio Auditore’s journey, and its soundtrack, composed by Jesper Kyd and Lorne Balfe, is a fitting send-off for the beloved assassin. The music is darker and more introspective, reflecting Ezio’s quest to uncover the secrets of Altair and the Assassin Order. Tracks like "The Crossroads of the World" seek to set the mood for a story about a man finally entering his winter period after a long and storied life.
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That said, Revelations' soundtrack often feels iterative rather than innovative, which may be appropriate given Ezio's questing back into the past, into Altair's time. Lacking the bluster and confidence of the previous two games, its sweeping orchestral waves feel somewhat "go with the flow" and lack a hook, unlike Ezio's blade, but still appropriately epic for a sendoff of Ezio Auditore da Firenze.
8 Assassin's Creed Unity
To The Ticking Clock Rythmn Of History And Revolt
Assassin's Creed Unity
- Released
- November 11, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
- Composer(s): Chris Tilton, Sarah Schachner, Ryan Amon
There is a faint air of revolution about the soundtrack of Assassin's Creed: Unity that is hard to shake. The ghost of the French national anthem is hummed as if from around the corner of a future uncertain of itself, such as in "Rather Death Than Slavery." The ripe, jumpy synth pairs off beautifully with the classical French bourgeoisie musical stylings of the time, and the ticking clock metronome that seems to hack throughout the soundtrack is perfectly emblematic of Arno's underrated parkour stylings: urgent but graceful; mischievous but consistently deadly.
The soundtrack occasionally runs away into over-orchestrated or overly sentimental territories but slips back fast with moody, playful synth hopscotch over delicately concerned strings that almost allows the player to forget how distracting it is to pilot an assassin who wears an anachronistic hood stitched into a three-piece suit around a French Revolution Paris.
7 Assassin's Creed Odyssey
A Faithful Companion On A Journey To Far Away Places
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
- Released
- October 15, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
- Composer(s): The Flight
The music of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, rendered with traditional Greek instruments, such as the lyre and bouzouki, is as vast and beautiful as the Aegean Sea itself, with compositions that evoke the grandeur of ancient myths.
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The soundtrack manages to be varied and interesting to carry the player through their long journey. Of course, such a long playtime leaves little room for standout tracks, but Odyssey's rendition of "Ezio's Family" is one of the finest in the series.
6 Assassin's Creed
An Understated, Minimal Masterpiece
Assassin's Creed
- Released
- November 14, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Stealth, Action
- Composer(s): Jesper Kyd
The soundtrack to the original Assassin's Creed may not have its memorable tracks or leave a stark impression on players. Its music is as subtle and underfoot as its protagonist. Some may argue that this first soundtrack falls in the "background ambient" variety, but its hybrid of synth driving over the traditional instrumentation of the Crusades-era Middle East makes for an astonishing and unique listen.
"Access to the Animus" is a fevered, steadily escalating track that blends the feeling of dexterous stealth with urgent action. The soundtrack is a technical gem as much as it is a bop. Jesper Kyd scatters traditional Christian, Muslim, and Jewish influences throughout each location-specific exploratory track to provide a soundscape as diverse as the time and place.
5 Assassin's Creed Origins
Deserts And Eras Of Sizzling Dangers And Intrigue
Assassin's Creed Origins
- Released
- October 27, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
- Composer(s): Sarah Schachner
Just as the series took a new perspective with a wider scope than previously seen in the series with the introduction of a truly massive world and more options for tackling missions with RPG-esque character development, Assassin's Creed: Origins' soundtrack clearly set out to stun with its Ancient-Egypt-meets-science-fiction soundscape. What this game's soundtrack lacks in standout tracks it completely makes up for in overwhelming immersion.
The soundtrack, ambient but in an up-front, ubiquitous fashion, evokes the feeling of crossing a hostile land without the comforts of the familiar flourishes the series had been known to return to since the days of Ezio (with one major exception, which was still used with restraint), which is perfectly in line with Origins' intention to throw players back into ancient Egypt, a land of mystery and fresh possibility without the laurels or convolution of the series' own heavy history weighing it down.
4 Assassin's Creed 3
To Score The Remaking Of The World
Assassin's Creed III
- Released
- October 30, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
- Composer(s): Lorne Balfe
The musical thrust of the entire Assassin's Creed series is ever-tinged with notes of melancholy, but it is most profoundly felt in the emotional soundtrack of Assassin's Creed 3. Lorne Balfe's score swells with an uncertain patriotism borne out of a messy and contradictory American Revolution.
Blending Native American instruments, colonial chanties, and contemporary electronic sweeps drive forward the themes of the future and past clashing and combining. Tracks like "Fight Club" and "Trouble in Town" capture the chaos and heroism of the American Revolutionary War, while Connor’s Life reflects the emotional weight of carrying clashing heritages amid a time of great upheaval, both personally and politically.
3 Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
Primal, Brooding, And Oozing Grand Self-Assurity
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
- Released
- November 16, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M // Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action, Stealth
- Composer(s): Jesper Kyd
The eeriness of a living, corrupt Rome at the height of the Borgia papacy can be seen and felt through the haunting songs of Brotherhood's music. Although much of this game's soundtrack lacks the delicate variety of AC2, Brotherhood's music is thick with dreamy fear and mysticism. Half of its tracks, such as "Roman Underworld," seem crafted from the rusted iron and raw dark of the world's past to instill awe and terror in equal measure.
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The other half brings cool heroism and healing to the listener in their pursuits across the city's broken and bustling back, such as the driving and supremely self-assured "City of Rome" (the Eternal City in its place in history) and "Echoes of Roman Ruins," both gems at the tippy-top of the Assassin's Creed musical crown, at least in terms of individual tracks.
2 Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
A Bonafide Pirate's Anthem
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (2013)
- Released
- October 29, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
- Composer(s): Brian Tyler
It takes work to capture the essence of the wind on a seemingly endless sea and the feeling of guiding a ship across it to unplundered horizons, but the Black Flag soundtrack captures it effortlessly. The driving, rattly guitar and clattering percussion never fail to put players in the upbeat, deadly mood that Black Flag's open world of sailing and pirating demands.
What really makes the Black Flag soundtrack special are the sea chanties. These collectible songs instill the crossing of the great, salty waters with a sense of adventure (and their lyric sheets might be one of the few Assassin's Creed checkbox items that players look forward to picking up, rather than participating in the collectathon out of a sense of obligation).
1 Assassin's Creed 2
A Masterwork In The Series, In The Medium Of Video Games
Assassin's Creed 2
- Released
- November 7, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- Composer(s): Jesper Kyd
While the original Assassin's Creed brought its own motifs and flavor to the acoustic landscape of the Holy Land, the music of Assassin's Creed 2 brought a renaissance in terms of musical flavor. There are occasional tones of the sacred blended with notes of rebellion in this groundbreaking entry, generally where the religious choirs cross wires with the riff of an electric guitar, felt most of all in the iconic "Ezio's Family," which unleashed a leitmotif that would make itself felt throughout the entire series and its soundtracks to follow.
That isn't simply down to nostalgia for one of Assassin's Creed's most iconic characters. While most fans will likely have this anthem in their mind's ear when thinking most fondly of the series and hopping around the rooftops of Italy, the whole soundtrack is bursting with Kyd's genius, including "Dreams of Venice," the haunting "Leonardo's Inventions," and "Home In Florence," to name but a few.
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